Q: I have a 40-year-old American dogwood tree that was badly damaged over the winter. It has about 30 leaves left. I am going to cut it down and want to put up another white dogwood. Would it be OK to plant the new tree in the fall? Or should I wait until next spring? After removing the dead tree, should we wait before planting the new one? How long should we wait? And no, I don't want to plant a Kousa dogwood.

A: It's perfectly fine to plant your new dogwood this fall. September would be an excellent month, which will give the tree weeks of root growth in cooling temperatures.

Just keep the soil consistently damp all around the rootball and deeply enough that the bottom of the rootball is also getting moisture. A deep soaking about twice a week for the first 6 to 8 weeks is good.

Don't put away the hose too early. Keep the soil damp right up until the ground freezes. Sometimes we get surprisingly dry falls.

There's no need to wait after removing the mostly dead dogwood. You'll just have to contend with the roots. Either plant the new one at least a few feet away from the stump, or have the old stump and main roots removed (or ground up) if you want to plant in the same spot.

If you're grinding the stump, I'd suggest removing most of the chips and sawdust and filling the depression with fresh topsoil. Incorporate everything well before replanting. There's nothing toxic in the chips and sawdust... it just dries out fast and makes it a little trickier to keep the new roots damp.

While you're shopping for a new American dogwood, look for a variety with good disease resistance. Many American dogwoods are highly susceptible to two leaf diseases – powdery mildew and anthracnose, both of which stunt growth and disfigure the look of the tree.

'Appalachian Spring' is one of the best white bloomers, if you can find it.